The Accused
by Mizzdee
Summary: Detective Edward Cullen has a good life…great friends, a job he loves, and a family that means everything to him. One chaotic night thrusts him into his biggest case ever as he races the clock to save his best friend's life.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, musical content, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: This is my entry in the Picture Says It All contest. I'm glad I entered because I definitely found a new form of inspiration through this story. It is an avenue I will be exploring again in the future. For anyone interested, I used image #10 to bring this story to life.**

**I want to thank my amazing betas andromida1964 and AgoodWITCH who made this look and sound as well as it did. I love all the help you ladies gave me. I appreciate it more than you know.**

**Just a quick note: This story will be told from Edward's POV unless otherwise indicated, so I won't be added that to every chapter. **

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The scent of death was so thick in the room; it almost knocked me down with its sheer force. This scene was like countless others I had walked through in my career. It didn't get any easier but the utter horror of the situation gave way to the sense of obligation I felt toward the victims to close their cases as quickly as possible.

As a homicide detective, I had to learn to put any feelings I would have at seeing multiple dead bodies aside and focus on the case at hand. In most cases there was a single victim and the scene wouldn't be as bad. Today, however, we got the call for a triple homicide. Two women and one man were murdered in their apartment. Those cases didn't come around often but when they did they took weeks to solve and I was physically and emotionally drained for days afterward.

Walking through the tiny, blood-splattered living room was like walking through a minefield. I had to watch my every step to make sure I wouldn't disturb the scene. If anything seemed out of place, it could be cause for all of the evidence collected to be thrown out of court when we finally caught the motherfucker who did this shit.

I looked over to my partner who was working the other side of the room, maneuvering his huge body just as carefully as I was. "Anything?" I questioned him.

"Other than the footprints leading out the door, not much. There is one thing I can't put my finger on but…I'll get back to you on that." The tone and hesitation of his last sentence made his answer sound cryptic and left me wondering what it meant.

"I'm gonna check out the bedrooms. Make sure you check this room thoroughly, nothing gets missed." I ordered. I outranked him so I was able to give commands without questions.

The rooms were in pristine order, except for one. This one looked like a tornado tore through it. There were clothes thrown everywhere. The bed was moved about five inches to the left of its normal placement based on the indentation in the carpet. The sheets were practically ripped off and hanging halfway onto the floor. The bedside table had been hit hard enough to send a lamp crashing to the floor and knocking over every picture frame that rested on top of it. I had been doing this a long time and my instincts told me this was where the struggle had started.

I left the room and did a quick sweep of the small bathroom at the back of the apartment…nothing. I walked back to the front of the apartment to wait for the M.E. to show up while looking through a few more things to get a clear picture of what I think went down.

Just as I walked in, the chief came through the door. I actually expected him sooner than this but, judging by the way he was dressed, he was at yet another charity event. Those events were a waste of everyone's time, if you asked me. The police department, in my opinion, didn't seem to benefit much from the money raised at those things.

He nodded to me as he saw me walking in. "Cullen…McCarty, what do we have here?" he asked as he was securing his gloves in place.

"Three victims…two female, one male. These two here…" I said as I pointed to the male and one of the females just to the right of the door, "have multiple gun shot wounds. This one here was beaten leaving multiple broken bones and the marks around her neck are a clear sign of strangulation. We'll have to wait on the M.E. to know for sure."

"What are your theories, Cullen?" He knew I already had my assumptions.

"Judging by the rest of the apartment, I would say victim number one was here alone with someone. It appears they were in the bedroom, where a fight broke out. She ran in here where the suspect followed and killed her. The other two, possibly a roommate and her boyfriend, walked in on the scene and the suspect shot them before they could leave or call for help." I walked the chief through the apartment as I explained what I thought to be the events of the night.

He nodded while taking in my assessment. "McCarty, what's your view?" he asked looking for more information.

"Well, based on the footprints by the door. I would say we're looking for a six foot male, roughly about my height. He wasn't careful when he was leaving judging by the smeared handprint by the door and the footprint just outside where it looks like he pivoted back to see that he was leaving tracks. That's the last one so I'm assuming he took his shoes off when he realized it." He was using the pen that he always carried to point out the different things he was explaining.

"Also, I've spoken to the building manager and he assures me that there are only two women living here but, taking into account the number of beds in this place, we have a missing roommate. I don't think she was here but we need to have someone here in case she shows up later," I suggested.

"We've got men speaking to the neighbors to see if they heard anything or if they can tell us who the third woman is. Hopefully she'll be easy to find," McCarty added with a touch of concern in his voice. That got my suspicions up again.

"Good work, men. This is a sloppy job and I'm guessing there will be plenty of evidence to pick up once the forensic team gets here. Gather the neighbor's statements and start working on finding the missing girl. She may be able to tell us who the victim was with when she died."

"We're on it," I replied before we walked out of the apartment and down the hallway.

A few hours later, after walking through the crime scene one more time with the forensic team and speaking to any of the neighbors that had some useful information for us, we were back in the car on the way to the station.

"What the fuck is up with you, Emmett." I was going to find out what all the strange behavior was about.

"Nothing. It was just a bad scene that's all." If I hadn't known him for the last five years I might have believed him. Emmett McCarty was never bothered by a crime scene unless it involved children.

"Fuck you if you think you can sit here and lie to me. I'm not taking your bullshit…not tonight. After the scene we just walked out of, I'll be damned if I don't get some answers out of you." I was yelling at him now. "Something is up with you tonight and you better start talking."

He was shifting in his seat looking extremely agitated. "This has nothing to do with the job, alright."

I nodded.

"I can't be sure, I was pretty fucked up that night, but I think I've been in that apartment before," he confessed. He didn't need to say anymore because I knew what he meant.

"You fucking son of a bitch." I lost it. "You said you were done with that shit."

"I know what I said." He was yelling back at me. "She happened _way_ before that okay."

"Who the hell is _she_?" Then it clicked. "Wait a minute, I'm guessing, since you didn't know either of the two victims, then the missing girl is the one you were..." The rest of that sentence wouldn't pass my lips.

He didn't say anything and that gave me my answer.

"Shit! How long ago? Are they going to be able to find any of your prints on the scene?" My mind started going over the consequences of his actions.

"Hell no! It was too fucking long ago. I barely even remembered it," he answered like that made this shit better.

"You better hope to god you're right, Emmett. If they find one print…just one, our careers are over. The chief will know that you withheld information and he'll think I was in on it because I'm your partner. I _will_ _not_ allow you to jeopardize my family because you can't keep your dick in your fucking pants."

"Look Edward, let's just go back to the station and work this case like we would any other. The chief won't know a thing."

He seriously wanted to act like this shit didn't happen. He was putting my family at risk here. I could lose everything I had worked for just to cover for him, but I couldn't back out either. I would be worth nothing in the department if someone found out I turned on my partner. This fucking asshole had me stuck in this situation with no way to get out.

"Fine," I said the word through gritted teeth. "We'll do this your way for now. Tonight we write up the paperwork and work the few leads we can and then I go home. I'm not dealing with your shit tonight."

* * *

It was a long night. I finally called it quits and headed for home. I just needed a night to wrap my head around the shit storm I was stuck in the middle of. It was three in the morning when I crept into the house. I locked up my gun as always and walked through the house to my daughter's room.

I kneeled by her bed and gently fixed her covers hoping not to wake her up. She looked so peaceful laying there wrapped up in her dreams. Her little lips twitched and she mumbled something in her sleep that I couldn't quite make out. It made me smile. She was just like her mother.

I was about to shut off the lamp beside her bed when I saw a folded piece of pink paper with the word "Daddy" written on the front. She was six years old and just learning how to write so we were finding notes to mommy and daddy everywhere. I even found one in my shoe once, as I was getting ready for work. I stifled the laugh that wanted to escape and opened the note.

_Daddy,_

_You were not here when I went to bed. I saved a kiss for you instead._

_Love you_

Precious

My daughter's name was Angie, but I always called her precious because that's what she was to me. I had a feeling mommy helped with this little note. Just under the writing was her little lip marks where she pressed them to the paper…using mommy's lipstick of course. I sighed as I kissed her forehead and walked out of her room.

I silently made my way to my bedroom where my beautiful wife would be waiting for me. She should be sleeping, of course, but she always said that she couldn't sleep well if I wasn't with her. I changed into a loose pair of pajama pants and crossed the room to join my love.

She rolled over as soon as I hit the bed. "Hey baby," she whispered to me and I knew she was smiling just by the tone of her voice.

I pulled her into my arms and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Bella love, why aren't you sleeping? You know I hate that you lose sleep waiting for me. The doctor says you need to get more rest. I want you and our baby to be healthy." I rubbed circles over her small belly. She was so much more beautiful when she was pregnant.

"I know, but I miss you when you're gone and I love to be able to hold you when you come home." She tightened her arms to emphasize her point.

"Baby, you love me more than I deserve." I kissed her forehead and laid my cheek against her hair. I blew out a deep breath. "How did I get so lucky?"

She pulled away from me and propped herself up on one elbow. "I know you too well, Edward Cullen. I can hear that something is wrong. Can you talk about it?" she asked knowing there were some things I wasn't able to share with her.

"Well we caught a case tonight and it was really bad. I'm sure you'll hear about it on the news tomorrow. Unfortunately, there is one potentially big problem." I paused and she remained quiet waiting for me to finish. "Emmett has a…_connection_ to someone who could possibly be involved in the case."

"Oh Edward, he didn't." The disappointment was apparent in her voice.

Bella and Emmett formed a tight bond as soon as they met. She liked him so much that she introduced him to her best friend, Rosalie Hale. Unfortunately, at the time, she didn't know what Emmett was like. She felt bad for both of them and always held out hope that he would change.

"Yeah baby, he did. I don't know when he did it but he said it's been a long time." I didn't usually tell her about Emmett's escapades because it wasn't my place. She got all her information from Rosalie when she would call Bella in tears. I had to tell her about this one though because it may affect us and we needed to deal with it early.

I briefly explained the details I could tell her and let her know what it could possibly mean for us. One of the biggest reasons I loved my wife so much was that she always kept a level head. She saw things from a different angle than I did and was always able to give me some sound advice. The crazy thing was she actually agreed with Emmett this time. If enough time had passed since it happened then there was no way his prints would be anywhere in that apartment.

"I love you so much. Now I need to let you get some sleep." I kissed her lips again, deeper this time, savoring every second.

When I released her she laid her head on my chest and allowed me to wrap my arms around her. "I love you too, Edward…more than you know."

* * *

It had been two months since we closed the triple homicide case. We arrested the fucker who killed those people but, just like every other criminal, he claimed he didn't do it. The only thing that bothered me was that we never found the missing roommate. We had plenty of prints to work with but couldn't ID her because nothing matched in the system. We couldn't find a single neighbor who ever remembered seeing her either. She was like a ghost left behind to haunt me because I hated loose ends. As much as I hated to do it, because she wasn't essential to the case, I let the thought of her go and chalked it up as an unsolved mystery.

Life moved on and everything was back to normal, well as normal as things can get for a detective. Even Emmett and Rosalie were doing okay. I guess they were better than okay. Emmett finally asked her to marry him and she accepted. They really did love each other and they were going to take the final step in their relationship.

Rosalie and Bella were talking everyday going over wedding plans. They were planning a nice, quiet and small wedding. The guest list consisted of very close family and few of the other guys from the station.

Because the wedding was so small they were able to plan it in a few weeks. Neither one wanted to wait, they were just going to do it and get it over with. Bella wasn't too happy because, being seven and a half months pregnant, she claimed she would look big and fat in her dress. I had told her over and over that she looked amazing and that belly that she kept complaining about was a sign of how much we loved each other. That usually got her to blush and to thank me for keeping her sane.

The wedding was in a couple of days and the guys decided to take Emmett out one last time. Given his track record with bars, drinking and women, he shouldn't even be considering it but Emmett was never one to turn down a free beer. I wasn't going just because I was the best man and the best friend. I was going to be the fucking babysitter. Emmett needed some looking after when he drank and Rosalie trusted me to take care of him.

There were only going to be four of us tonight but that would definitely be enough. We were meeting Jacob Black and his partner Sam Uley at the bar. They were already there when we showed up and the first thing Jacob did was stick a beer in Emmett's hand. I grabbed one myself but made damn sure I was sipping that thing slow. I couldn't deal with Emmett's loud ass if I were drunk too.

Jacob and Sam were both single so they had Emmett out on the dance floor pushing women at him while dancing with the women they picked up. Being the only married guy of the group I was sitting at the table alone. Not that I couldn't or wasn't allowed to dance with other women, Bella wasn't the controlling type; I just didn't have any interest. None of these women could hold a candle to Bella, all they wanted to do was fuck the first guy that would show them any interest. My three friends out there were all too happy to help them out with that. Jacob and Sam could do whatever the hell they wanted but I was here to keep an eye on Emmett to make sure he remembered he was getting married in a couple of days.

I did notice there was one woman in particular that he was dancing with more than anyone else. Well, what he was doing wouldn't be considered dancing in anyone's book. He was practically fucking her in the middle of the dance floor. Things like this were exactly what I was here for.

I made my way over to Emmett and grabbed him by the arm. Not exactly the brightest idea I had ever had. Emmett was my height but built like a fucking mountain. Grabbing him while he was drinking got his defenses up and he pushed me off of him before he realized it was me.

"Hey, sorry Ed. What's up?" He abandoned the woman he was dancing with so he could talk to me.

"Emmett, I think you've had enough. It's time to get back to Rosie." He needed to get his ass out of here before this woman pulled him into the alley or some other equally shady place with her.

"But we're having fun." He looked at his wrist at a non-existent watch. "It's not even late. Rosie will understand."

"After everything Emmett, I seriously doubt that. You even think of stepping out on Rosie again, she's gonna cut your fucking dick off and you know it." I watched as his legs snapped shut out of reflex.

"That's not funny, Edward. You and Rosie need to leave my dick alone. Now I have a dancing partner to get back to." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

Fuck, I didn't want to have to drag him out of here, but I would if I had to. I went to grab Jacob and Sam to ask for their help as Emmett wrapped himself around the woman on the dance floor again. Before I took my second step my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it was Bella. I hit the ignore button. I would call her back as soon as we had Emmett in the car.

When the second call came through right after the first, I got worried, that wasn't like her. I rushed outside to talk where it was quiet. I hit the button to redial and paced while I listened to the ringing.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I questioned when she picked up.

"Edward, I think I'm in labor." She barely got the words out. She was panting and using her breathing exercises.

"No, it's too early." I was panicking. "Call the doctor, baby. I'll be there to pick you up in a few minutes." She said okay as I was closing the phone. I ran back in and went straight to Jacob.

"Jacob, I have to go now!" I hollered over the music.

He turned his attention to me and saw my worried expression. "What's up, Edward."

"Bella's in labor. I have to get outta here." He nodded his head. "Listen, you need to get Emmett home now. Got it?" I basically ordered him to do it.

"Sure Edward, whatever you say." I watched him motion to Sam as I turned and ran out of the bar.

I was speeding all the way to the house. I picked up Bella, dropped off Angie at the neighbor's house and we rushed to the hospital. The doctor met us there and she did her preliminary check. Bella was so close to having the baby and we made it to the hospital just in time.

By the morning, we had a perfect baby boy. Bella insisted that we name him Edward Jr., making me the proudest father around. Rosalie showed up at the hospital late in the afternoon with my little girl and a hurting Emmett in tow. The hangover was visible and it served him right for drinking as much as he did.

Angie jumped into my arms and hugged me tight around the neck. "Hey precious, did you come here to see your baby brother?"

"Yes daddy. He's finally out of mommy's tummy and I wanna play with him." She was so excited it was going to break her heart when we would tell her that she couldn't play with him yet.

"No, my precious girl. You can't play with him yet. He's still too little." I tickled her stomach. "You just have to wait. You can see him though."

Her eyes lit up and the biggest smile spread across her little face. I held her up and tipped her over Bella's bed so she could look at her brother. She giggled and waved at him. It was adorable. Bella sat up in bed and called Rosalie over to take the baby. She reached out with her now empty hands and pulled Angie into a huge hug.

While Rosalie was holding the baby she told Bella that they were going to postpone the wedding a couple of weeks to make sure we were both able to be there for them. We tried to tell them it wasn't necessary but she said they couldn't get married without their best friends there. After a long ass debate we finally agreed to go along with it. It was their wedding after all and if they wanted to delay it then who the fuck was I to stand in their way.

Rosalie and Emmett stayed until visiting hours were over. They each kissed the baby and Bella and then congratulated me before they left, taking Angie with them. I wasn't going to leave Bella's side, so she was going to stay with them for the night.

I pulled the chair next to Bella's bed and just stared at my gorgeous wife while holding her hand in mine. She blushed before I spoke, "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Her smile was luminous. "Edward, you gave me two beautiful children. I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have you but you have to know that there is no one, not even you, who could love another person as much as I love you."

I may be a hardass at work and sometimes out of work but this woman always brought out the closet romantic in me. I leaned over her and kissed her forehead, both eyelids, both cheeks and then her sweet lips. It was a slow, soft kiss with my whole heart poured into it.

I pulled away, smiling at her. "Get some sleep my love. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." We both remembered how hectic life got when we brought Angie home so she needed her rest.

Bella settled herself in bed and I tucked her in. She rolled to her side so she was facing me and gripped my hand before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

The next afternoon, I was just getting Bella settled in at home when my phone rang. Having already called our families, I checked the caller ID wondering who it was. It was Sam. I flipped open the phone and he was talking before I could say a word.

"Edward, man, I'm sorry to have to do this now but you need to get your ass out here. We have a major fucking problem." The worry in his voice was unmistakable. He didn't explain much. He basically gave me an address and no other choice than to go out to meet him.

I told Bella about the call and she told me she would be fine and it was okay to go. I kissed her and hurried out the door. I drove to the address Sam gave me and was met by a street full of emergency vehicles. I parked my car and jumped out. I needed to flash my badge so they would let me up to the door where Jacob and Sam were waiting for me.

"Alright fuckers, my wife just had a baby. This better be good," I warned.

"There's something you need to see." Jacob was serious as he walked me into the house…nothing seemed to be out of order. I was getting irritated. They dismissed all the cops from the room for a minute before they led me into the back bedroom.

"Is this a fucking a joke?" I asked as I saw the victim's body in the middle of the bed. The same woman Emmett was nearly fucking on the dance floor the other night was lying in the bed stripped to her bra and panties, hands behind her back and her face slightly buried in the blankets.

_What the fuck? _

"Has the M.E. been here? Do we have a time of death?" I was silently begging that this happened after they got Emmett out of the bar and away from her.

They both nodded their heads. Sam was the one to speak, "M.E. puts the time of death around three o'clock yesterday morning."

"But you two…" I began but Jacob cut me off.

"Sorry Edward. We couldn't make him leave. He fought us every step of the way and our fight caused a full on bar fight. Somewhere in the chaos, we lost Emmett and we think he went home with her."

I leaned down with my hands on my knees trying to get a handle on my anger. It wasn't working and I was ready to explode. "Holy fucking shit, Sam! Do you think he came here with her?"

"Without word on the prints it's too hard to say but where else would he go with her. It's not like he could have taken her home with him." Sam's answer was not what I wanted to hear.

"We wanted to bring you in on this Edward because we wanted you to know what's coming. I would say a number of people at the bar saw him leave with her. Unless he can prove the time he left her house, Emmett will be the prime suspect since he was probably the last person to see her alive," Jacob explained.

"This is a fucking nightmare." I had both hands fisted into my hair. I couldn't believe this was happening. "Does Emmett know yet?"

"Well, he could." Sam's response was puzzling.

"What the hell does that mean?" I questioned.

Jacob clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Edward, forensics has already been here also. They found plenty of usable prints and were going to take them back for processing." He drew in a deep breath. "With Emmett being a cop and in the system, they are going to know immediately whether he was here or not."

I was good cop and an even better detective. I always had a certain sense about a crime scene when I showed up and I knew this wasn't going to end well. "What's your take, guys? How do you see this going down?"

They looked back and forth at each other and then at me. No words needed to be said. "Fuck! I have to get to Emmett's right now! Call me as soon as you hear _anything_?"

I sprinted back to my car, turned it back the way I came and floored it. I hauled ass and made the thirty-minute drive to Emmett's in fifteen minutes. My tires screeched to a stop and I threw the car in park. I jumped out and rushed to the door. I burst through it with no warning and saw Rosalie sitting in the middle of the floor in tears with the telephone in pressed to her ear.

"Oh, thank God. Bella, he's here," she said into the phone.

"Rosie, where is Emmett?" I grabbed her by the arms and made her look at me.

"They took him." Her eyes were pleading with me to understand.

"Who took him?" I shook her gently to make her focus.

"The police. They came in here and said he was being charged with murder." She broke down into uncontrollable sobs. I held her for a minute trying to offer any kind of comfort I could before she asked, "Edward, what's going on?" She wanted an answer that I couldn't give her yet.

"I'm not too sure Rosie but, I promise you, I'm gonna find out. Until I do, please go to my house and stay with Bella." She nodded and I took off to the station.

When I got there I asked some questions and found out that Emmett's prints were all over that woman's house. They had several witnesses that claimed he was the last person to be seen with her. Normally, when a good cop was involved, the DA's office would drag their feet a little and give us some time to clear things up. However, this woman was the daughter of someone with a lot pull and he demanded an arrest be made.

I was allowed into the holding area and see him. He was sitting on a small bench in a single cell keeping him away from the other men being held down here. He had his elbows resting on his knees with his head buried in his hands. He looked broken.

"Emmett," I called his name to get his attention.

He slowly lifted his head to look at me, he had been crying. I never imagined I would see Emmett McCarty cry over anything. "Edward, I don't know what happened."

"Don't talk, Em. We have to get you a lawyer. You know as well as I do that you say _nothing_ until then." I warned him. "Jacob, Sam and I are going to be working on this but you know we don't have a lot of time. They're out for blood on this one and, I hate to say it, but you're probably facing the death penalty here."

He broke down again and the tears spilled from his eyes. I felt sorry him. Emmett didn't have an evil bone in his body. He just let his dick make his decisions for him sometimes. He had cheated on Rosalie countless times in the last five years but all those mistakes combined didn't warrant a punishment like this. Someone killed that woman but it wasn't the man standing in front of me. My best friend couldn't do something like this.

I had my hand on his shoulder and he composed himself enough to speak. He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, full of tears. "They said I killed that girl from the bar. I don't remember anything, Edward. Everything is a blur."

"I said shut the fuck up, Emmett. I told you not to say a word…not even to me...not yet. For once, listen to what I say and keep your damn mouth shut. I'm going to find someone to help you."

I turned as he reached out and grabbed my arm through the bars. "I'm sorry Edward. Please tell Rosie I'm sorry. Please tell her that I didn't do this."

I got myself free of his grip and heard him calling to me as I took off to find someone who could help him.

"Edward, I didn't do this!" he screamed at me before the door slammed shut behind me.

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**A/N: Just so you know, this story is in no way finished. I will be continuing this story so be assured that we will find out what happens to poor Emmett. I can't let him down.**

**Thanks for reading and I would love to hear what you think, good or bad, it's all appreciated. **


	2. Could This Get Worse

**As you know, the great SM owns all things Twilight. Who knew a picture could put this crazy idea in my head. I just had to share it.**

**Thanks, as always, goes to my beta and good friend andromida1964 for catching the mistakes. She has some very interesting and different stories out there. Take some time to check them out. I also want to thank my WC ladies. You keep me writing and I truly appreciate it.**

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**Chapter 2 - Could This Get Worse**

As I left the station I had two very important calls to make. The first was to my dad to let him know what was going on and the second was to Bella. I told her that Sam, Jacob and I were going to work around the clock to figure this out and I would be home soon to explain everything.

I couldn't help but think this whole fucking mess was partially my fault. I knew Emmett was crossing the line that night and I should have stopped it sooner. I should have drug his ass out of the bar when I had to leave but I was so worried about Bella that I wasn't thinking straight.

I pulled the car to a stop half a block away from the house that loomed in the distance. Home was always a safe haven for me. Bella and I always made sure that our private life was completely and totally separate from my job. It was the only way we could live peacefully. Now, the job was forced into our lives because it involved our best friends.

I dreaded walking through the door because facing Rosalie was going to be hardest thing I'd ever have to do. She expected me to keep an eye on Emmett and I let her down. I had to make this right and I already put things in motion by speaking with my dad to ask for his help. He wanted to meet with me in person but I told him I needed to go home and check on Bella and the kids and Rosalie before I went to see him. He was going to use the time to call in some of his favors to get Emmett a good lawyer.

Exhaling heavily, I pulled the car back onto the road and drove the short distance to the house. I had to just man up and get this over with. Both Bella and Rosalie needed to know what we were facing and how serious this was.

I pulled the car into the garage and took a couple of deep breaths to gather the strength I needed to tell my wife and her best friend that the man they both loved could, at the very least, go to prison for the rest of his life.

Bella was at my side as soon I entered the house and closed the door. I held her for a minute fighting the urge to break down from the tension I was feeling.

"Edward, please tell me what's happening. Rosie is devastated and I can't help her because I don't know what's going on." A worried expression blanketed her face and I knew it was for all of us and not just Emmett and Rosalie.

"Give me a minute and I'll explain to both of you." She nodded her head and went back to Rosalie while I made my way upstairs.

I pushed open the door to Angie's room and she was lying serenely as she took her nap. I walked in and just watched her sleep. She had no worries in this world and it was my job in every way imaginable to make sure it stayed that way. I kissed her forehead, tucked the blankets around her like I always did and walked out of the room.

I made my way down the hall to the nursery. Standing there watching my son sleep, I thought about how I should be here day and night to help Bella take care of him. I wasn't going to be able to do that now and the feeling that I was abandoning my son was crushing me. I reached my hand in his crib and stroked his soft arm and wrapped his little hand around my finger.

"Hey little man, I'm sorry I won't be here to hold you and rock you to sleep. Mommy is going to have to do that for me for awhile. I promise you, I will be here as soon as I can. Your Uncle Emmett and Auntie Rosie need me right now and I can't let them down." The tears I wouldn't cry in front of Bella were falling now as I promised my son that I would save Emmett. I couldn't break that promise.

Bella's hand on my shoulder made me jump. I didn't hear her come up behind me and I rushed to wipe my face before she noticed. Bella, being the loving person she was, grabbed my hand and led me out of my son's room before pulling me to her. She wrapped me in her arms tighter than she ever had and I held on for dear life.

"Baby, look at me," she ordered and I took a small step away from her. She placed her hand on my cheek as she spoke. "Edward, please stop beating yourself up over this. You aren't Emmett's babysitter and whatever this is, as much as I love him, he did this…not you." She brought her other hand up so she had both hands on my face, forcing me to look her in the eye. "You, my dear husband, are the best detective they have. I know you and you will not rest until this is over. It's up to you, Jake and Sam to solve this case."

She saw the doubt and protest in my eyes. She knew what I was thinking and she called me on it. "Stop that, right now. You cannot feel guilty about leaving us here. This is your job, your best friend and Rosie's future husband. You're the only chance they have."

"But Bella, I have to…" I began but she placed a finger on my lips to keep me quiet.

"Edward, I'm a cop's wife. I knew what I signed up for when I married you and I won't have you using me as an excuse. I love you. I have faith in you and I want Emmett home. Please, for me, bring him home."

God I loved this woman. She had amazing strength and, as always, a level head. She knew she would be okay with the kids and she reminded me that Emmett needed me. I needed to be working on his case so I could prove he didn't do this.

I placed one kiss on her forehead before I kissed her lips. I hated the rushed feeling of it but we didn't have time for more right now. "Come on, Bella. I'm gonna need you when I talk to Rosie."

We walked down the stairs hand in hand and made our way to the kitchen where Rosalie was sitting, just staring at the table. She didn't move when we walked in and only acknowledged our presence when Bella touched her shoulder. She looked up to Bella and then to me. I don't know what my face looked like but it must have been projecting bad news because, as soon as she laid her eyes on me, she broke out in tears.

I was next to her in an instant and I pulled her into my arms. "I'm sorry, Rosie. I'm so sorry. I should have been there. He's in jail now because of me."

She didn't say anything but I could feel her shaking her head. It was a few minutes before I felt her push away from me a little. She kissed my cheek as she sat back in her chair. I grabbed her hand and didn't let go. Bella was on the other side of the table just letting us work though this moment before the hard discussion started.

"Why did this happen, Edward? Emmett couldn't kill anyone." She was begging for answers.

Blowing out a deep breath, I tried to gather what strength I had to tell Rosalie the one thing that would crush her. "I know he couldn't but there are several details going against him right now."

"Tell me." The shift in her demeanor was visible as she steeled herself to hear the truth.

"It was the night at the bar. Emmett was drinking too much and…" I hesitated. I had never been the one to have to tell her before.

"And he found another girl, right?" I expected anger or sadness in her tone but there was no emotion in her voice at all.

"Yes." My eyes fell to the table. I couldn't look at her. "I tried to get him outta there but that was the night Bella had the baby. Sam and Jake tried to help after I left but he fought with them to stay. There was a bar fight and they lost him."

"Look at me, Edward," she demanded. "Why do they think he killed someone?"

I looked at Bella for courage and then back to Rosalie. "The woman from that night…" I had to stop. This was so hard to tell her. I looked to her tear-stained face and told her the truth. "She was found dead in her home this morning."

Bella's gasp caught my attention. Her hands were covering her mouth, she was shaking her head and I could hear the muffled "no" she repeated over and over. It broke my heart to see that look on my wife's face. She loved Emmett and I knew she couldn't believe my words. I looked over at Rosalie, who was sitting motionless. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, her mouth hung open and she lost all color in her face. She was white as a ghost.

I had to continue. "I don't know much yet but I do know that she had been dead for more than twenty-four hours and his prints were found in her room. Sam and Jake caught the case so it's…"

"Oh God!" She was out of her chair and bent over the sink throwing up.

Bella and I rushed to her side. Bella had Rosalie's hair in her hands while I was rubbing her back and resting a hand over hers. When she was done, she stayed leaning over the sink for support. Bella grabbed a washcloth, soaked it in cold water and ran it over Rosalie's cheeks, forehead and the back of her neck.

"Honey, are you okay?" Bella asked.

The tears started again and the pain in her voice tortured me. "How Bella? How can I be okay? The man I love doesn't love me enough to be with me and only me and now this?"

"You can't think that Rosie," I pleaded with her. "I saw him before I came here and the only thing he's worried about is you. He loves you and he is so very sorry." I was left to defend him now. "It's the alcohol that changes him. If I could've stopped him from drinking that night or if I would've gotten him out sooner, none of this would be happening. I let you down, Rosie and I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Edward." She tried to smile and reassure me but there was just too much pain there. "After everything, I don't blame you. It's Emmett." Her voice had no life to it as she spoke. "He'll never change."

I wrapped her in my arms again. I couldn't think of anything to say to her. I knew she was probably right but I didn't want to think Emmett couldn't change.

"I don't believe that, Rosie, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to give him the chance to prove it to you." I stepped back from her and grabbed her hand and Bella's. I looked at them both and gave my word. "I promise both of you now, I will find out who did this. I will bring Emmett home." I looked directly at Rosalie as I spoke my last sentence. "I will make sure the man you love is worthy of you."

"Edward," she paused, "I don't know if I can do this anymore."

Bella pulled Rosalie into a hug and held her while the sobs racked her body. "Rosie please, let Edward do what he has to and we'll figure everything out when this is over."

I loved Bella's faith in me and I was going to live up to it. I really hated to leave Rosalie in the state she was in and leave Bella to take care of her so soon after having the baby but I didn't have a choice. I hugged each one of them one more time before Bella walked me to the door.

"Don't give me that look Edward Cullen." She knew the anxiety I was feeling and she actually smirked at me causing me to smile. "We'll be fine here. You get out there and do what you do best. I love you and the kids and I will be here waiting with open arms for you to come home."

"I love you, baby. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"You're just lucky I guess."

In the midst of all this mess, the smile on her face now seemed out of place, but that was my Bella. Her smile always gave me strength. I pulled her to me and kissed her. "I wish I didn't have to leave you but I have to find out what magic my dad has up his sleeves. I'll call you as soon as I can."

With one last kiss, I ran out the door, jumped in my car and sped toward my dad's house.

* * *

My dad never ceased to amaze me. He said he would call in his favors but I didn't really believe his connections reached that far. In a matter of hours after Emmett was arrested, my dad had the top criminal defense attorney in the state standing in his living room.

I had more than a few reservations about him wanting to take on this case. Yes, he was the best and his reputation was impeccable…his record was near perfect. This man, however, did not like me and he had a serious hatred for Emmett. He had, on many occasions, called us arrogant, cocky and egotistical. He had even accused us of tampering with evidence to arrest certain suspects without a full and proper investigation. To add to all of that, one of Emmett's prior indiscretions was with this man's wife.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I glared at him.

"Now Edward, that's not the way to greet the man who's going to get your partner out of jail." His voice was full of venom as he spoke.

"Yeah, like you could be objective, Demetri. This would be the perfect case for you. It wouldn't cost you much to lose. It would be small hit to your win/loss record. Then by taking that loss, you get your revenge on the man you claim ended your marriage."

"Do you really believe I couldn't be objective? That I would tarnish my reputation by losing a case on purpose? Please, get over yourself, boy."

The minute I heard the word "boy" I was in his face. My chest slammed into his, knocking him backwards. My fist was clenched and ready to go and I would have let it fly if my dad hadn't stepped in my line of fire. I knew the asshole was trying to provoke me on purpose and I was _ready_ to play his game. I'd been waiting to get my hands on this son of a bitch for years.

"Edward, please. You need to think of Emmett right now."

"Do you think Emmett's gonna have a chance with this motherfucker doing his best to make sure he goes to prison?" I spoke each word through gritted teeth as I fought with everything inside me not hit this smug bastard.

"Fuck you, Cullen. I don't need to deal with your bullshit. I have better things to do with my time." The asshole turned to leave. "I'm sorry Carlisle but you couldn't pay me enough to put up with…"

"Demetri, you owe me and you aren't going anywhere." The forcefulness of my dad's tone surprised me. "Edward, come with me now." He literally pulled me out of the room like I was a screaming child who needed discipline.

I yanked my arm away as we entered his study. "What the fuck? Why would you treat me like that in front of him?"

"First of all, you _will_ watch your mouth. I am not one of your friends that you think you can speak to any way you damn well please. You will respect me, this house and any guest that walks through the door." The harsh tone of his voice gave way to a softer one, showing his concern. "Second, this is for Emmett. It has nothing to do with you. You know Emmett is like a second son to me and I will do whatever I have to on his behalf."

"But dad, objectivity is something he doesn't have where Emmett's concerned."

"Demetri will keep his opinions to himself and work on this to the best of his ability. He may hate Emmett for what happened with Cassandra but he is a professional and you know he's the best. I will not sacrifice anyone because you can't get over your own prejudices against him."

I would accept his decision…for now. "Fine. I'll work with him on this but, be warned, if I get the slightest impression that he is giving less than his best. That man will pay."

* * *

The lights of the city flew past the window as I placed my call. The phone rang three times before it was picked up. "Detective Black."

"Jake, Sam is there with you right?"

"Yeah we're working the timeline. Where've you been?"

"I had to go home and talk to Rosie. She's torn up. Listen, I just left my dad's house and I'm on my way in. You and Sam need to meet me in the tomb. We need to talk to Emmett?"

"What's up, Edward?"

"Emmett's past is gonna bite him in the fucking ass…hard. I'm five minutes out." I hung up the phone. This shit couldn't get any worse.

I walked into the station on a mission. Emmett needed to know exactly what he was up against. Just as I was about to make my way down the stairs, the chief stopped me.

"Cullen, get the fuck in here now!" His voice was loud enough to hear through his closed door and across the room where I was.

"Fuck." I thought I would have more damn time before I had to explain. There was no need to knock because he called me in. "Chief, I was just about to…"

"I don't care what the fuck you think you're doing. Would you like to explain to me why one of my best detectives is crying like a little bitch downstairs in my fucking cell, accused of fucking murder?" This was a new level of anger for him and his voice was loud enough that I'm sure Emmett heard him.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, Sir."

"You aren't finding out anything and you know it. Black and Uley have this case."

"What? You're sidelining me on this?" He couldn't keep me out. "With all due respect, sir, that's my fucking partner down there. You're not stopping me." I ripped the door open and headed for the holding area with the chief on my fucking ass.

* * *

"Demetri fucking Alexander! Are you fucking kidding me?" Emmett punched the wall and the blood instantly covered his knuckles. "Why not just put me in line for the electric chair now?"

"Oh fuck!" Jacob and Sam said almost in unison. They knew what this meant.

Emmett tried to shake the pain away from his hand. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke the damn thing but he obviously wasn't worried about it. He was thinking the same thing I was. I couldn't let it get that far. There was no way I was letting them take me off this case.

"Emmett, cool your shit. Let me work this out."

The chief's voice echoed in the room. "Cullen, I already told you…you're off." Sam and Jacob looked at me while he looked to Emmett. "What's the deal with you and attorney?"

"Nothing." Emmett turned his back on us and almost punched the wall again.

"McCarty, I don't have the time, energy or fucking patience to deal with your bullshit. If you have a problem with the attorney hired to represent you, then I need to know."

Emmett sat on the bed and put his head in his hands. I guessed it was up to me. "He hasn't been completely faithful to his girl in the last several years. One of the many women happened to be…"

"Tell me you weren't the one fucking the man's wife, McCarty. I heard he was on a warpath when she left him. Does he know?"

"Hell yeah, he knows. The smug bastard is trying to play it cool for my dad's sake. I think he'll fuck Emmett the first chance he gets."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read this story and added it as one of your favorites. That makes me proud. **

**I will do my best to get these chapters out weekly. So keep your eye out next Tuesday for another update.**

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